Zurvan the Untethered
The name Zurvan ' is the only constant about the mysterious Chaos Sorcerer that stalks the infinite expanse of the Eye of Terror. His history varies per his incarnation, for he has died many times. The Warp will simply not allow Zurvan to die permanently, and like a shattered mirror, his essence is called from an alternate timestream. Serving his own inscrutable agenda, perhaps merely existing as Tzeentch's puppet, or perhaps something infinitely more grotesque, Zurvan is an engima, one that few who cross his path live to solve. History (?) Zurvan's history varies per his incarnation. In one reality, he is a proud member of the Prosperine Sorcerers. In another, he served the Word Bearers, or perhaps even a later chapter. Past, present and future collide around Zurvan, though there is but one constant fact in his infinite, fractured timestream. Zurvan had been navigating a vessel through the Warp, and was swallowed by Anthelion. As he and his crew were pulled into the Daemonic singularity, time slowing to a nightmarish crawl, Zurvan called out to the Ruinous Powers for his life. Tzeentch was listening, and used the time-rending power of Anthelion to shatter Zurvan's temporal essence, transforming the Sorcerer into an aberrant, walking wound in spacetime. Contained within his power armor, Zurvan existed in all places and all times. He used this skill to navigate ships, escaping to the Eye of Terror with the unique ability to guide a ship temporally as well as spatially through the Warp. Put simply, what Zurvan offered was a limited form of time travel, technology undreamed of since the Dark Age of Technology. Any warlord or person of power can see the value of the Sorcerer, who seems to return after every death in a different incarnation. Whether each version is the same essence reborn in a new body or a totally different version of the same person drawn from an alternate timeline is unknown. Zurvan has walked the Galaxy for millenia, appearing and vanishing from the Warp. His ability to perfectly control the temporal flows of the Warp carrying his vessel allows him to orchestrate plans spanning into eternity, simply appearing at key points to usher the timeline forward. Zurvan follows his own, unknown agenda, often allying himself to warbands out of convenience or in pursuit of some lore or artifact and vanishing soon after. Personality Zurvan is a truly alien entity, a fact compounded by the fact that he is infinite fractal reflections of the same entity. Viewing time from a nonlinear perspective, Zurvan knows how events go, but also that they must play out according to the designs of fate. Zurvan has the smug, condescending demeanor of a person who already knows the story's end. In the rare occasion that his abilities are cut off, Zurvan panics. Zurvan is surprisingly not a nihilist, despite his abilities. This may not be an especially comforting thought, as he plays his part in fate with a smile, always ushering events forward toward an unknowable goal. Many who know of the Sorcerer fear the day he becomes a Daemon Prince, for should that day arrive, he will truly be eternal. Zurvan seeks to find a way to combine all his selves into one, perfect avatar for his essence in all realities. He believes that this is the key to his ascension, though is rightfully wary of Tzeentch and is sure to be meticulous about all his plans. Though clearly a veteran of the Long War (by his own accounts, a war much longer than most know), Zurvan cares little for the Imperium, though will destroy them mercilessly when necessary. If asked, he says he has seen their downfall, destined and drawing closer. Wargear/Abilities * '''Chaos Infused Power-Armor '- Zurvan's warplate shifts like a mirage, taking on different makes, models and colors. As well as being as strong as the armor of any Astartes, Zurvan's plate exists slightly out of sync with reality, making it hard to permanently damage. Zurvan's power-armor is often wildly anachronistic, with reports of the Sorcerer in early M30 wielding Mark VII armor next to sightings in M41 wearing pristine Legionaire plate. * '''Daemonstaff '''Tindalos' ''- Tindalos ''is a Daemonically-infused Force Staff, that seethes with rippling, howling, and panting wolf-flesh. Forged from the Daemonic essence of a Hound of Tindalos, the staff imbues Zurvan with the ability to travel space, and to a lesser extent, time, channeling his psyonic power to fold spacetime at right angles and travel distances through the Warp unharmed. ''Tindalos '' can also assume its true form, pursuing a target and devouring their essence out of time. * '''Mark of Tzeentch '- Zurvan has been marked by Tzeentch, his timeline folding through four-dimensional space into a twisted hieroglyph of the Lord of Change. The mark has combined with Anthelion's time-distorting properties to mutate the Sorcerer into a being shattered across countless temporal realities. This has granted him immense psychic power, as well as the invaluable and unique ability to perfectly guide vessels through time in the Warp. This ability is not omnipotent, however, and travelling long distances in time requires specific Warp-channels. * Temporal Instability '''- Tzeentch has cursed/blessed Zurvan to be the Aeon-Walker, one forever lost in the infinite streams of time. Because of this, while he is connected to the Warp, Zurvan can see events both past, present and future and is nearly impossible to surprise. Killing Zurvan is possible, though obviously difficult, however another version of him will usually appear at some point. Relationships '''Feel free to add your own! Vritra the Howler Vritra and Zurvan have what could be tenuously called a 'friendly' relationship, though the two Chaos champions hardly see eye to eye. Vritra keeps Zurvan's council, however, as Zurvan has assured Vritra that he can lead the Noise Champion down the path to daemonhood in exchange for certain...favors. Azunar The Apostle of Ruin has aligned his forces with Zurvan's plots countless times, seeking a deeper understanding of the Warp, particularly Anthelion, through the sorcerer. Azunar's mortal followers are especially eager to serve and aid the Sorcerer, for, due to Empyrealism's reverence of all Souls, Human, Xenos and otherwise, as gradients of a single panentheistic entity, Ruin, they revere Zurvan as a mortal who has successfully liberated his Soul from Falsespace and achieved Man's true, divine form, something they believe all Souls are capable of becoming. Quotes Feel free to add your own! Trivia * Zurvan despises facing Tyranids, Necrons and Orks, as their combined psychic fields prevent him from seeing the future while they are around. * Zurvan looks forward to a future where his plots come to fruition and he ascends into a Daemon Prince. Sometimes, he betrays fear of a possible fate of being 'chased by hounds' if he cannot succeed. * Many who know of Zurvan fear to speak his name, believing he can hear it anywhere in the cosmos. * He is named after Zurvan, a heretical zoroastrian deity of infinite time and space. * His theme song is Timewave Zero Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Characters Category:Chaos Lords Category:Chaos Sorcerers Category:Psykers Category:Warp Entity Category:Tzeentch